Ron Theriault wears many hats for the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad and that’s just the way he likes it. Theriault can be found mowing grass along the tracks, performing general maintenance or fixing the trains when they need repairing. “It’s a lot of fun being able to do everything,” he says. “It doesn’t get monotonous, it’s different every day.”

Ron Theriault laughs while talking with a passenger Monday. Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer

Ron Theriault laughs while talking with a passenger Monday.
Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer

On Monday, he took on the role of conductor aboard the train, a position usually staffed by volunteers. As people boarded the trains, he advised them to sit on the ocean side of the cars. “The other side is just trees and rocks, which you can see anywhere else in Maine,” he told the passengers.

Theriault, who has worked for the railroad for two years, says that the people he gets to meet are also what makes his job so much fun.

The Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad’s season runs from early May to late October, reopening in November for a month for its Polar Express rides.


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